Welder&#39;s helmet



March 15, 1966 E. H. HOOVER 3,239,844

WELDERS HELMET Filed March 3, 1964 INVENTOR 67779376. How 5Q ited Eritates Patent Ofifice 3,239,844 Patented Mat". 15, 1966 3,239,844 WELDERS HELMET Ernest H. Hoover, Box 11077, 2217 N. Eastern, Oklahoma City, Okla. Filed Mar. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 349,007 3 Claims. (Cl. 28)

This invention relates to welders helmets, and in particular to the lenses or windows thereof. Generally speaking, the opacity of the lens is too great for observation except in the light of the flame or arc light, and therefore, in making preliminary adjustments in the welding process, it has heretofore usually been necessary to tilt up the helmet temporarily. This, of course, is an inconvenience, and productive of inaccuracies, and it is therefore a general object of the present invention to avoid the need for such manipulation.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a lens which is movable away from the viewing opening by action of the operator, and in still greater particular it is an object to provide a lens which is slidably adjustable, together with pneumatic actuation means actuable orally by the operator.

A still further object is to provide a holding means for the lens, adapted to be overcome by suction applied by the operator.

These and other objects, which will be apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical, sectional view through the window portion of a welders helmet constructed according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the sliding lens in its frame.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a hood, or welders helmet of generally conventional construction, having a window opening 12, mounting, in place of the usual dark lens, a first lens 14 of clear glass or other material of high light transmittance. Conventionally, this lens is lodged in a rabbeted corner of the window opening, from the inside, and is held in place by a rectangular, split ring 16, received in a suitable groove in the window opening.

A second dark lens 18, encased in a channel-form rim 20, is mounted for sliding movement in a frame 22 of channel section, comprising a side piece 24, integral with top and bottom pieces 26, and a separable side piece 28, secured by screws 30, which permits removal of lens 18.

Fixed, as by welding, to the bottom piece 26 is a tube 32, which functions as a pneumatic cylinder, having an inner piston 34, carried on one end of a rod 36, slidable in aligned bores in the closed top of cylinder 32 and lower, channel piece 26 of the slide frame, the other end of the rod 36 being fixedly attached to the bottom portion of the rim 20. The entire system of lens 18 is swingably mounted on the inner face of the helmet by means of a section of piano hinge 38, secured by screws 40, and is secured in working position by a latch comprising a split tube 42, slidably mounted on the cylinder 32, with ears 44 in the semblance of a pipe strap, and the ears having notches 46, engageable behind the inner heads of a pair of rivets 48 carried by the face of the helmet. As seen in broken lines in FIGURE 1, upon release of the latch, the inner window system may be swung inwardly, for cleaning, repair or replacement of one or both lenses.

For communicating air pressure to the piston, the

lower, open end of the cylinder 32 is provided with a plastic tube 50, of sufiicient stiffness to retain the curved form shown, with a bottom loop 52, and a terminal, straight portion 54, serving as a mouthpiece for the operator. Blowing into the mouthpiece will cause piston 34, and hence lens 18 to rise, leaving only the clear lens 14 for viewing the work in ordinary light. In order to hold the lens 18 elevated, top piece 26 of the slide frame is provided with a pair of magnets 56, of a strength sufficient to hold the weight of the piston and lens, but yieldable to suction by the operator through mouthpiece 54.

This helmet is mainly intended for arc welding, but it can also be used for oxy-acetylene welding by providing a stationary lens of suitable opacity, and raising the movable lens.

While a certain, preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will be apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A welders helmet comprising a hood having a face provided with a window opening, a first lens extending over and fixedly mounted in the window opening, a frame disposed inwardly of and abutting against said face, said frame embodying a top piece, a bottom piece, a side piece extending between and integrally attached to one of the complemental ends of said top and bottom pieces, and another side piece extending between and detachably secured to the other of the complemental ends of said top and bottom pieces, a rim conformably shaped to fit within said frame and having a second lens fixedly supported therein, said rim being mounted in said frame for sliding movement therein, means connecting the top piece of said frame to said face for swinging movement of said frame between the abutting position and a position inwardly of and out of abutting relation with respect to said face, a cylinder depending from the bottom piece of said frame and having an open lower end, a piston working within said cylinder, a rod within said cylinder and having one end secured to said piston, said rod extending slidably through the bottom piece of said frame and having the other end fixedly attached to the bottom portion of said rim, and a tube connected to the lower open end of said cylinder for communicating pressure orally by an operator to said piston to thereby effect sliding movement of said rim.

2. The helmet according to claim 1, which includes in addition latch means on said cylinder and releasably engageable with means provided on said face for holding said frame in the abutting position.

3. The helmet according to claim 2, wherein said latch means embodies a split tube provided with ears on opposite sides thereof slidably-mounted on said cylinder, and said means provided on said face embodying spaced rivets which are releasably engaged by said ears.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,154,774 4/1939 Rienacker et a1. 28 2,272,001 2/1942 Goode 28 2,354,502 7/ 1944 Cockrill et al. 2-8 2,549,964 4/1951 Dening 2-8 2,613,353 10/1952 Schnitzler 2-8 2,686,309 8/1954 Burdick 2-8 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WELDER''S HELMET COMPRISING A HOOD HAVING A FACE PROVIDED WITH A WINDOW OPENING, A FIRST LENS EXTENDING OVER AND FIXEDLY MOUNTED IN THE WINDOW OPENING, A FRAME DISPOSED INWARDLY OF AND ABUTTING AGAINST SAID FACE, SAID FRAME EMBODYING A TOP PIECE, A BOTTOM PIECE, A SIDE PIECE EXTENDING BETWEEN AND INTEGRALLY ATTACHED TO ONE OF THE COMPLEMENTAL ENDS OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PIECES, AND ANOTHER SIDE PIECE EXTENDING BETWEEN AND DETACHABLY SECURED TO THE OTHER OF THE COMPLEMENTAL ENDS OF SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PIECES, A RIM CONFORMABLY SHAPED TO FIT WITHIN SAID FRAME AND HAVING A SECOND LENS FIXEDLY SUPPORTED THEREIN, SAID RIM BEING MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT THEREIN, MEANS CONNECTING THE TOP PIECE OF SAID FRAME TO SAID FACE FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID FRAME BETWEEN THE ABUTTING POSITION AND A POSITION INWARDLY OF AND OUT OF ABUTTING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID FACE, A CYLINDER DEPENDING FROM THE BOTTOM PIECE OF SAID FRAME AND HAVING AN OPEN LOWER END, A PISTON WORKING WITHIN SAID CYLINDER, A ROD WITHIN SAID CYLINDER AND HAVING ONE END SECURED TO SAID PISTON, SAID ROD EXTENDING SLIDABLY THROUGH THE BOTTOM PIECE OF SAID FRAME AND HAVING THE OTHER END FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID RIM, AND A TUBE CONNECTED TO THE LOWER OPEN END OF SAID CYLINDER FOR COMMUNICATING PRESSURE ORALLY BY AN OPERATOR TO SAID PISTON TO THEREBY EFFECT SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID RIM. 